Dispensing and displaying means for narrow fabrics



March 17, 1942. I J; GOLDsMlTH 2,276,959

' DISPENSING AND DISPLAYING MEANS FOR NARROW FABRICS Original Filed Aug. 20, 1937 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 zwwwmimr March 17, 1942. o s r 2,276,959

DISPENSING AND DISPLAYING MEANS FOR NARROW FABRICS 0riginal Filed Aug. 20, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR .BERTRAM J. Gama/wry ATTORNEY March 17, 1942.

DISPENSING-AND DISPLAYING MEANS FOR NARROW FABRICS Original Filed Aug. 20, 1957' 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 'INVENTOR Emma/1 J Gown/m ATTORNEY B. J. G-OLDISMITH I 2,276,959

iatented Mar. 17, 1942 DISPE'NSINGAND DISPLAYING MEANS FOR NARROW FABRICS Bertram J. Goldsmith, Neshanic, N. 3.. Original application.August 20g1937, Serial No.

1939, Serial No. 269,731

3 Claims;

This invention. relates to means .for; displaying and dispensing ribbons, bindings, tapes, and other narrow fabrics and to spools and'similar putups or containers for such fabrics.

This application is a division of application.

Serial No. 160,039, filed by me. on August 20;

1937, for Dispensing. and displaying, means for narrow fabrics.

One object of the-invention is the provision of ribbon packages or containers of the spool type. constructed and arranged. to be used in conjunction with. supply and display compartments on the counters or other supports in retail stores.

Another object of the invention is to. provide means for dispensingand displaying a plurality of ribbons or other narrowfabrics in compartments defined by wallswithwhich the ribbon containers cooperate forprovidingthe supply and display compartments whereby to facilitate dispensing of the ribbon and. the display thereof.

A further object is. to providea ribbon or other narrow fabric container disposed on. a storecounter in a cell having. a supply compartment and a display compartment; and. constructed to iacilitate observation of the fabric in. said container.

A yet further object of the invention is; generally to improve counter: or similar means; for the display and dispensing .of a plurality of ribbons, bindings, tapes, etc., in reference will hereinafter be referredto as ribbons.

The. above objects oithe invention, objects an-. cillary thereto and other objects. which might hereinafter appear, will be fully understood from. theiollowing description of .the several forms. of the. invention illustrated; inthe accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Fig. .1 is. a perspective view of a part of acounter display arrangement embodying the present invention;

whichv for convenience Divided and this application'April '24,

Fig. 8' is. a side. view" inelevation of the ribbon puteup. illustratedin Fig. 7:

Fig. 9 is: a perspective View ofza ribbon putup in accordance withanother fornrof: the invention;

Fig..10. isga view similar-.toFig: 5, showing. yet another form. of .thezinvention;

Fig;..111. is a perspective view; of a block used in the arrangement illustrated in Fig. 10.;

Fig.. l2 is a top. plan viewoi; the: arrangement illustrated inFig. 10.

Referringnow moreparticularly; to the draw ings and first to the'form of the. invention illustra-ted inFigs;..1 to 3,.theribbon display and dispensing means embodying the present invention comprises, as-here. shown; the usual store counter or:tabl'e; III which vconstitutesa support for the, ribbondisplay andqdispensing cells defined by the partitionwalb I21 which, as customarily used in many retail stores; are made. of plate glass. and. which are maintained inxcell defining relation ;by: suitable means frequently constituted by apluralityvv of blocks, one disposed ineach cell. In accordance with the present: invention. such blocks may be, eliminatedand in lieu; thereof, theribbon .put-up-may be utilized not only for maintaining partition walls 12 iincell defining.

relation, but. also for: defining: the supply and display; compartments. Thus. as; here shown, a ribbon put-up orspool-container It; suchas; that illustrated in .Fig., 3, is disposed within each. cell defined; by walls: [2 and-the: blocks heretofore utilized may be omitted.

Spool-container I6 comprises, non-circular, preferably square or oblong, endwalls or flanges l8- composed of anysuitable material, for example; cardboard, fibre board. meta1,..etc. assembled infixed spaced relation; witha .metal pin 20; at right. angles to the spool. axis, The ribbon-roll 40. 221 is-wound-or: otherwise. arranged on a suitable core 20 betweengflange l8, said: core: and the ribbon; mounted thereon being rotatable about pin orspindle-Ml. The top, flange of spool-container I6 isprovidedwith an opening 26;. for the passage 1 of the ribbon-from the supplycompartmentbelow said-.fiange-to-t-he display compartment thereabove. It willbe understood that-in lieu of. opening; 26- a passage for the ribbon from: the supply compartment to the dispensingcompartmentmay be; provided by dimensioning. upper flange. I8- so that at least one edge or one edge. portion thereof is spaced somewhatv fromtheadjacent partitionwall l2 toprovide an opening between said partition wall and. said edge or. edge portion .55; offlangela. -Theribbon put-up of spoolcontainet Isa, illustrated in Fig. 4, is substantially the same as spool-container l6, except that the flange l8a is formed in integral relation with a side wall portion 23. Also as here shown, upper flange |8a has a notch 30 in one side edge thereof to provide a passage for the ribbon from the supply compartment to the display compartment.

It will be understood that in utilizing the spoolccntainers 16 or [6a in the arrangement illustrated in Fig. 1, said spool-containers, including the ribbon-rolls mounted therein, having been supplied to the retail stores, in lieu of ordinary spools of ribbon as heretofore, will be arranged in the cells defined by walls 12, being supported preferably directly upon the top of counter or table I0, although said containers, specially when the ribbons are narrow, may be placed upon the blocks hereinbefore referred to. By reason of the non-circular formation of the flanges of said containers, the latter are non-rotatable when disposed in their compartments, while the rotatable mounting of the ribbon-roll including its core 24 between the flanges of said containers permits the ribbon to be readily withdrawn from the supply compartment below top wall or flange IE to the display compartment above said flange, for dispensing the ribbon when making a sale and for displaying a quantity of the ribbon in the display compartment. The quantity of ribbon thus displayed is supported on upper flange l8 which thus constitutes a bottom wall of the display compartment. It will be understood that in lieu of rotatably mounting the ribbon-roll, the ribbon may be wound directly about pin 20 as a core for the ribbon-roll wound in the manner illustrated in Fig, 9 of United States Letters Patent No, 2,082,489, granted June 1, 1937, on an application filed by me, whereby the ribbon may be unwound free from twist while the roll as a whole is stationary.

In the form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 the ribbon put-up or spool-container 32 is similar to container l6 except that bottom flange 34 is substantially smaller than top flange 35, said top flange being square, while flange 34 optionally may be circular or non-circular. Said flanges are held in fixed spaced relation by a pin or spindle 38 about which ribbon-roll 22 and the core 24 on which it is mounted are rotatable as a unit. As here shown an opening 40 is provided in flange 36 for the passage of the ribbon from the supply compartment below said flange to the display compartment thereabove. Ribbon-container 32 is supported, as illustrated in Fi 5, upon the upper edges of open-top recessed means here shown as a hollow block or receptacle 42, flange 35 resting on the upper edge of said block with the ribbon-roll 22 depending from said flange into recess 44 of said block. Said flange 36 thus constitutes the top of the receptacle. If desired, in lieu of a hollow block 42, a box provided with a bottom (not shown) and forming a part of the ribbon put-up or container may be utilized. It will be understood that the outer periphery of block 42 is preferably non-circular and that said block is so dimensioned thatit engages the cell defining walls l2 for maintaining said walls in vertical position, thus taking the place of the usual solid blocks heretofore provided in counter arrangements. Hollow blocks 42 are preferred as they provide means for supporting spool-containers having spool-containers of different widths so that ribbons of various widths may be mounted in the manner illustrated in Fig. 5. It will be understood that top flange 36,

being non-circular and closely adjacent walls 24, is held against rotation when ribbon is withdrawn from roll 22 into the display compartment, although it is within the scope of the present invention to make flange 36 circular and to secure said flange against rotation by a few tacks driven therethrough and into block 42. It will also be understood that the ribbon-roll may be non-rotatably mounted in relation to pin 33 as for example, when the ribbon-roll is wound in the manner previously referred to in connection with Fig. 9 of the above mentioned patent. As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, spool-container 32 is removably secured to block 42 by spring clips 43 secured to the opposite outer sides of said block in recesses 45 and projecting above the upper edge of the block in releasable engagement with flange 36. The same or similar releasable securing means may be used instead of tacks when the flange spool is circular.

In the form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8, the ribbon put-up 46 may comprise any conventional spool 48 on which the ribbon-roll 50 is Wound. Spool 48 being rotatably associated with a plate 52 about a pin 54 fixed to and depending from said plate. Plate 52 may be mounted in the same manner asflange 35, or if preferred, hollow block 42 may be dispensed with and spool 48 may rest directly upon the top of counter l0. Plate 52 is provided with an open ing 56 for the passage of the ribbon from the supply compartment below said plate to the display compartment thereabove. It will be understood that spool 48 is initially separate from plate 52 and is removably mounted on pin 54 for rotation about the latter when ribbon is dispensed. When plate 52 is associated with a support such as block 42, it may be either circular or non-circular, and when circular, it may be held against rotation by securing said plate to said block in any suitable way as by removable tacks or screws or by a suitable adhesive.

As illustrated in Fig. 9, the ribbon-container may be mounted with the axis of the ribbon-roll horizontally disposed instead of vertically disposed as in the above described forms of the in vention. For this purpose a ribbon-container 53 similar to the ribbon-container lGa may be utilized in conjunction with a member 60 having a wall 62 which defines the bottom wall of the display compartment when arranged between partition walls [2. Member 69, as here shown, is also provided with side walls 64 by which said member is supported above the bottom of counter ID. The connecting wall 66 between flanges 68 of put-up 58 is provided with an opening which registers with the opening H1 in the top Wall 62 thereby providing a passage for the ribbon from the roll 12 in the supply compartment below wall 62 to the display compartment above said wall. It will be understood that in the arrangements illustrated in Figs. 7 to 9, the ribbon rolls 5!] and 12 may be non-rotatably mounted, in which case said rolls may be of the type illustrated in. Fig.i

9 of the patent hereinbefore mentioned.

In Figs. 10 to 12, there is shown an arrangement which is similar to that illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6, except that provision is made for disposing within a single counter cell two spool-containers both of which supply ribbon for the display compartment of said cell. Thus, asxhere shown, two spools 32, such as that shown in Fig.

5, are assembled with a. receptacle comprising,

a block which has a recess 82 deep enough to accommodate said blocks in spaced relation and.

to allow for ribbons of varying widths. 36 of upper spool 32 engages the upper edge of the block and is releasably secured in position by spring clips 84, and flange 36 of the lower block is positioned between the top of table Ill and the lower edge of said block. Said flange thus constltutes the top of the receptacle. Flange 36 of spool 32 is provided with notches 4| and 43 for the passage of the ribbon, in lieu of an opening 4D. Block 80 is provided with an upper recess 86 which registers with notch 4| for the passage of the ribbon from upper spool 32 to the display compartment above the flange of said spool. Said block is also provided with a lower recess 88 which communicates with a side recess 90 in the block forming a passage for the ribbon from the lower spool 32 to the display compartment above flange 3B of the upper spool, notch 43 of said flange being in registry with recess 90 when upper spool 32 is positioned in the cell as shown.

As clearly shown in the drawings, in reference to each form of the invention, the opening for the passage of the ribbon from the supply compartment or container to the display compartment of the cell is positioned in spaced relation radially of the spool axis and outwardly of the periphery of the ribbon roll so that rotation of the roll is not interfered with when the ribbon is drawn through said opening. When the axis of the spool is vertical, the ribbon is turned upwardly from the roll for passage through said opening.

While I have shown and described several embodiments of my invention, it will be understood Flange that the latter may be embodied otherwise than as here shown. It will also be understood that in the constructions herein shown or described certain changes may be made and will occur to those skilled in the art, particularly in view of the present disclosure. Accordingly, I do not A wish to be limited precisely to the present embodiments or to any of them specifically, except as may be required by the appended claims considered with reference to the prior art.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Means for displaying ribbons or other narrow fabrics comprising a container for such fabric having. a quantity of the fabric disposed therein, said container comprising a spool for carrying said, fabric, said spool having at least one non-circular flange adapted to engage the vertical walls of a counter cell when said container is disposed therein with said flange in horizontal position above the fabric on the spool, and a core on which the fabric is wound, said core being rotatable in relation to said flange, whereby the fabric may be unwound wh'ile said flange remains stationary in wall engaging position, said flange being formed to provide a passage for the ribbon from the spool below said flange thereof to the space in said cell above the flange when said container is in the cell.

2. Means for displaying ribbons or other narrow fabrics comprising vertically disposed partition walls defining a cell,- open-top recessed means for holding said partition walls in cell defining relation, said recessed means having upper edges disposed below the upper edges of said walls, a plurality of spools in said recessed means, means for supporting said spools in horizontal position one above the other, for rotation about their vertical axes, respectively, a horizontal wall removably supported on the upper edges of said recessed means and disposed below the upper edges of said vertically disposed partition walls for forming a supply compartment and a display compartment in said cell, there being a plurality of openings between said compartments for the passage of fabric from said plurality of spools, respectively, from said supply compartment to saiddisplay compartment.

3. In means of the character described for displaying ribbons or other narrow fabrics and which comprises counter cells defined by vertical partition walls, horizontal wall means disposed in each of said cells below the upper edges of said vertical walls and subdividing the cell into a lower supply compartment and an upper display compartment, and a spool of ribbon positioned horizontally in said supply compartment above the bottom thereof, there being an opening between said supply and display compartments for the passage of the ribbon from said spool into said display compartment, said ribbon being wound on the core of the spool, and a bottom flange on said spool secured against downward movement in a direction axially of the core thereof for preventing downward displacement of said ribbon winding axially of said core, said ribbon being automatically unwound from said spool as the ribbon is drawn therefrom into said display compartment through said opening.

BERTRAM J. GOLDSMITH. 

